Verona High School boys basketball team nears finish line

Mike Coppola shoots from the corner against Sussex Tech on Saturday, Feb. 16.

The Verona boys basketball team entered its final stretch of play prior to the state tournament, with four games between Feb. 14 and 21 to fine-tune its touch.

The Hillbillies flashed playoff form in their 66-49 victory over Sussex Tech at home on Saturday, Feb. 16 – their 11th win of the year.

Ten Verona players connected on shots in the blowout, with the Hillbillies nailing 20 points in the first and third quarter in the high-scoring effort. The 66 points marked a season high and the third time Verona surpassed the 60-point plateau.

Head coach Eric McElroy said it was "absolutely" positive to see his team get back on track with the victory.

"We definitely shot better and took better shots," McElroy said. "It's good to get a win."

Junior captain Alex Kaslander led the Hillbillies in scoring with 16 points and also swatted three blocks.

The game was the 14th time in 15 efforts that Kaslander climbed to double digits in points as one of the top offensive options for Verona.

Junior center Mike Coppola notched a season-high 14 points against the Fighting Mustangs and junior captain Matt Braschi acted as the distributor with seven assists to go with nine points and five rebounds.

The dominant effort helped snap a mini two-game losing streak for Verona, and displayed the potential of the group as the postseason approaches.

The win over an out-of-conference foe in Sussex Tech may serve as practice for the non-Essex teams that fill up the North 1, Group 1 bracket, but McElroy said the Super Essex prepares his team as much as any conference could.

"Nobody plays a schedule like we do," the coach explained.

In addition to the Sussex Tech meeting, the Hillbillies suffered a close loss on the road to North 13th Street Tech. Verona fell 43-41 despite outscoring the home team 12-9 in the fourth and 18 points from Kaslander.

The final two games of the regular season came on the road for Verona, including a loss to Science Park on Tuesday and Thursday's match at Montclair Immaculate, but the Hillbillies return home for the start of the state tournament against 12th-seeded Becton at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.